In the voluminous exhibits that were part of the record, there was only the occasional compilation of crime statistics. (In about three-dozen sweeps, a mere three examples of crime data surfaced. And in these isolated instances, the data is not accompanied by suggestions that the deputies seek out criminals.)

Paperwork aside, Chief Sands' sworn testimony was at direct odds with the sheriff's.

"You don't really see spikes in crime in particular areas as being a criterion for having a saturation patrol; is that right?"

Joe Arpaio: "Well, you know, they call you KKK. They did me. I think it's an honor."

"That's correct, yes," responded Sands.

"The sheriff suggests saturation-patrol sites to you, correct?"

"We have discussions about them, yes."

"And you follow his suggestions, correct?"

"Yes."

"When Sheriff Arpaio sends you something and tells you, 'Have someone handle that,' is it your understanding that you're supposed to do something or that he wants you to do something to resolve the problem that the member of the public has presented?"

"I should hope so," concluded Sands.

So why would Sheriff Arpaio lie so blatantly about the origins of his sweeps? Why would he claim that Chief Sands — instead of the headline-hungry sheriff — determined the neighborhoods to be swept based upon crime data?

In 2006, Arpaio decided to go after immigrants with everything he had. The sheriff openly flaunted the law. He was hunting Mexicans. His approach wowed the wowsers and made him a national figure and a regular on Fox news.

"Ours is an operation," Arpaio announced in February 2007. "[It's] not the crime first; [it's] that they happen to be illegals . . . My philosophy is a pure program. You go after illegals. I'm not afraid to say that. And you go after them, and you lock them up."

Arpaio made so many outrageous statements about Mexicans that it's difficult to catalog them all. But he got plenty of air time when he denounced them as "dirty" and "disease carriers."

On June 4, 2008, Arpaio summed up his rants with this observation: "Well, you know, they call you KKK. They did me. I think its an honor."

His racism was on trial for the first time in Judge Murray Snow's courtroom.

And so Arpaio lied about the impact of voters' racist letters that he'd passed to Chief Sands.

The plaintiffs, led by the Arizona chapter of the ACLU, as well as the national ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and law firm Covington & Burling, did not charge that every sweep was in response to racist letters from voters. But they made a strong argument that, at a minimum, eight of the crime-suppression roundups were instigated in this fashion.

Frankly, it was impossible to fully account for all that happened under Arpaio's command because much of the record is missing.

The sheriff and his men began these legal proceedings by destroying tens of thousands of pages of evidence.

Arpaio's command staff destroyed years of incriminating e-mails despite numerous requests from the litigants' lawyers to preserve this evidence.

(All but one year of the e-mails were recovered when it was discovered that the county had backed up much of the correspondence. But at the end of the day, one year of e-mail evaporated, never to be returned, and entire filing cabinets of evidence were shredded or destroyed.)

Arpaio himself was discovered to have hidden the existence of his own bombshell files.

This treacherous behavior should surprise no one.

Sheriff Arpaio bragged to an anti-immigrant Houston audience in 2009 about his willingness to lie.

"I always — I always have an official reason: So I can win the lawsuits. And then I have my reason."

All trials have a story.

In the courtroom, the Sheriff's Office repeatedly conveyed the notion that the deputies did not round up gardeners, cooks, babysitters, drywall hangers, or any other working stiffs from Mexico.

No. The deputies were intent only on rescuing victims of drop houses.

Years ago, drop houses were the media rage. National reports suggested that Phoenix led the nation in kidnapping because Mexican nationals were held here against their will for ransom. Smugglers brought their human cargo safely across the border, then phoned their victims' relatives in Mexico and demanded a higher fee than agreed upon. It was an ugly business.

And the Arpaio team attempted to capitalize on the drama.

But this version of immigrant roundups contradicted virtually every public statement by Arpaio, who targeted Mexicans as criminals, not victims.

Yet in trial, these men who operated checkpoints in ski masks and bulletproof vests — who broke up families without a thought — testified that they were there to help the helpless.

Deputy Carlos Rangel was walked through this dance by his attorney:

"When you operate in saturation patrols in Maricopa County, do you ever target drop houses?

"Yes."

"Known drop houses?"

"Yes."

"Suspected drop houses?"

"Yes."

Deputy Armendariz, who actually did participate in a single isolated hostage rescue, went on at great length about how laborers are kidnap victims working to pay off extortion.

Chief Sands made the case that this also was the command perspective: "And my whole perspective of the enforcement was to correct or change somehow that was purely going after drop houses or delaying the operation of the drop houses."

With Arpaio relying upon his expert witness, police stooge, Bennie R. Click in court matters, should anyone expect truthful testimony from anyone that carries a badge and a gun. Bennie Click has been alleged to have engaged in felony impersonation of an attorney in the Arpaio case and in a collateral case in federal court involving Scott Huminski.

to aron i am not from here and i did not come over with a may flower ship i came from my mother so if you do not know me you should keep your comment to yourself .And he is a racist man that only has power and control that he use to no avail .How do you think he won by paying people and keeping all the mexicans from votinig yesterday so he could win.

Wow thats crazy stuff I almost hate to ask but I know somewhere along the line Sheriff Joe has apparently done some good stuff for some shitty people. I dont agree with dragging Obama into the article but I do find it interesting that the people who might have had the opportunity to nip this in the bud either co signed it or backed it. I for one didnt vote for him I detest his policies and rate him somewhere in the Hitler regime is it any wonder he embraced the KKK how is he different?

I hope Sheriff Joe is re-elected just so I can hear the whines for the prog-tards. "Waaah, racism! Waaah! homophobia! Get used to it, Holder will be gone soon and Sheriff Joe would make a great replacement

How many of you all are okay with letting all kinds of strangers run in and out your own home at any time, day or night? I'm sure most people would say that they have rules and boundaries they enforce for their own homes. What would happen if the law didn't protect people and their homes?

arpaio will prevail .... hes been thru alot tougher elections than this .. he needs to go home and enjoy his retirement at age 78 hes got a good reason to go home . the pima county sheriff is about as lold and wise

Very simple answer is if Feds would enforce their own immagration laws we wouldn't be having this conversation and Arizona wouldn't be paying for lawsuits backed by the folks that don't enforce the laws passed by the U. S. congress. If you break the law I don't care what your race is you should be punished, it just happens that their is more Mexican crossing our border than Canadians, with out papers or pass ports visas or other papers.

he sucks and so does the governer they are both racist and hateful people they have freind there kind ,they do not care about the middle class or the poor here all they care about is money that they can spend on there selfish self they make me sick .

i dislike this man he is evil and he needs to go he has been running this town to long and he needs to go home and retire his badge .he is racist any time he want to to spend money for a private detective to search for the president birth ceritifcate he has issues and he needs to go and be home with his wife that he has been with for 15 years and do something else with his life and let the new person running that i vote for give us better jails and better food and not treat mexicans or other races like crap.i am not saying dont punish people for the wrong things they do but be fair about it.B ecause some people need corporal pushiment but that for prsion not the jails.He needs to go !!!!!

Yiou're so right. He's a nut. A racist, bully who has nearly everyone fooled into thinking he's a good, tough, sheriff. But the truth is he is s corrupt lawman I've ever known. The list of illegal and costly things he's done is too long to even list. He is only in charge of criminals in jail for either ; waiting trial or in for only 1 year or less. He is not in charge of the bad criminals such as murderers, as he would let you believe. He's just great at promoting himself.Not good for Arizona.

@redperk1964 Not to mention healthcare for the 'bigfatburger', who should be a goner due to ALL his lack of standards. Well said ~ from a rape & assault victim, in the Mecca of DENIAL of Human Rights/ Maricopa county, a dustbowl tornado of hatred.

@redperk1964 Well if there weren't so many illegals here thinking they had rights in our country , backed by these civil liberty unions there would be no lawsuits !!!!! imagine if you went to Russia and waiving an American flag and demanded rights and weren't a Russian citizen... WTF do you think would happen there.. Come into our country the right way the legal way or go home.

@eurosportm3 This is how most of the world thinks, including our neighbor to the south. It does not mean racism necessarily. Even in Mexico they deny being racist when they do things that would be huge lawsuit here. I agree with euro - one comes to a nation to benefit - many immigrants and refugees are torn between their "community" and becoming a full US person. Some have told me "I did not come here to live in Litle VietNam, (substitute litte Mexico, little Italy, little Hmong) and unless the laws are egregiously problematic - say if they are being invited to nation but laws are very prejudice against them - then they have right to file suit (if the nation allows such) - but to just wish to change the laws and make it like the nation they left cuz that is what they like - no. They came here because it is not like the nation they left.

@eurosportm3 eurosperm why in the world would you say something like that? Why dont you go somewhere where you are the minority. Try doing something to better yourself and see what its like to be in their shoes. Are you an American Citizen?? The Euro in your name makes me think otherwise. Put yourself in the position these people are in...I bet your ideas might change a little.

Second, Mexican is not a race. It's where they are from. Therefore, race isn't an issue.

Lastly, despite what you have said, you are trying to get people who have broken the law from being punished. If you are here by any other means than the prescribed means you have broken the law. Law Enforcement has every right, and duty, to check the status of suspected violators of the Federal Immigration laws.

I am really getting tired of all the focus being on the person, persons, breaking the law. It may be true, even laudable, that they are trying to improve their life by coming to America, But to do so by sneaking in is just should not be allowed. Hey, I need more money, how far would that reasoning fly if I used it for robbing a bank? Just saying. There's an old saying 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'. This immigration issue proves this.

@sarum@eurosportm3 Not racist idiot !!!! just telling mexicans if they like mexico so much go home !!!!! i have many friends that are mexican , spanish , black , whatever !!!!! but they are LEGAL and there parents came here the legal way as did mine from Greece , they pay there taxes , work and put money back into the economy not Mexicos , look all i'm saying is come here legally pay your taxes put your hard earned money back into the American economy and fly both flags with pride.....

@JOEgottaGO I am somewhere where i am a minority , my own state where i was born and raised a$$wipe , tired of all these illegals protesting they have rights in Arizona , your illegal you have no rights stop waiving your mexican flag , if your so proud of mexico go back home.....

@truthseekeraz Not racist just tired of illegals coming here ILLEGALLY , i have no problem if they enter our country LEGALLY and want to contribute to our economy and not mexico's , illegals are taxing our health care system affecting our childrens education by making our kids learn spanish only !!!! you came to our country learn english why should we have to learn spanish you are in our country , just shows how bad the problem is , you go to certain parts of Phoenix and all signs and billboards are in spanish its like little mexico , smells like it too......

@MaskedMagician19 Figures "Flyer" would "like" the incorrect interpretation. Where is your anal righteousness about "just the facts" now? Brown did NOT create separate but equal - Brown's intent was to eliminate the existence of separate but equal. Never let a fact error get in the way of liking a good asswipe. Rally the troops!

@MaskedMagician1967 Were you waiting for someone to catch this one? No Brown was a landmark decision AGAINST "separate but equal." In fact most minority schools only taught how to be servile - they were not "equal." Plyler vs. Doe re-affirmed NOTHING. Plyler vs Doe said that children of illegal aliens cannot be denied FAPE K-12 and that districts cannot levy fees to attend public schools in order to fund their attendance when they don't pay in taxes. IOW, the states knew that the unfunded mandate to educate illegals was going to break them financially eventually so they were pro-active about it and levied tuition fees to families of children in public schools whose parents were not paying taxes to support the school. Not prejudice - just sound economic policy. But the effect is prejudice cuz how can a low-wage field worker afford "tuition"? They cannot. So the greater good was considered that having uneducated population was going to cost more over the long term. Likewise having an unmedicated (no health care) population ends up costing way more in the long run, especially when easily transmissable diseases are on the prowl. Both sides have good points. I don't know what the answer is because we are now quite broke and this is just one of the many causes. I have sibling that was illegal alien in another nation. She never got her education. That particular nation does not concern itself with the rights of illegals and deports them regularly and the rest of the EU says nothing. Nor does the World Court, International Human Rights . . .none of them say boo.

@AZHighways@JOEgottaGO I agree with you Joe , if you are going to live in America show respect to the flag , but i also know the latinos are very proud of their culture as they should be , so fly both flags with pride as i said before and come here legally , no problems with that on my end , problem solved...